The Sunnyvale/Cupertino Branch of the American Association of University Women wants to thank Mayor Lisa Gillmor and the City Council of Santa Clara for proclaiming Tuesday, April 12, 2016, as Equal Pay Day. This date symbolizes the additional 103 days it takes for the average wages paid to women to catch up with the average wages paid to men in 2015.
More than 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women, especially minority women, continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay. The remedy for this pay gap is for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would amend the Equal Pay Act by closing loopholes and improving the law’s effectiveness.
In their proclamation the city urges citizens to recognize the full value of women’s contributions to the labor force and encourages businesses to conduct internal pay evaluations to ensure women are being paid fairly.